Died On This Date (March 5, 1982) John Belushi / The Blues Brothers
themusicsover John Belushi
January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982
For all intents and purposes, John Belushi had two successful, yet brief careers. Belushi skyrocketed to fame thanks to his amazing comedic abilities that were showcased nationally when he became a cast member during Saturday Night Live’s inaugural season of 1975. During breaks from the show, Belushi acted in some of the era’s most popular comedies. That list includes Animal House, Continental Divide, and of course, The Blues Brothers, which showcased his singing abilities as well. The Blues Brothers were a singing duo made up of Belushi and SNL cast mate, Dan Aykroyd who were first introduced on the show, and then elevated to starring roles in the popular musical comedy of the same name. Premiering in June of 1980, the film went on to gross $115 million and spawn Briefcase Full Of Blues, the double-platinum soundtrack. A strong part of the duo’s appeal was that they were backed up by some of the greatest session musicians popular music has ever know, the Saturday Night Live house band. Belushi’s singing (or at least his mimicking) talents were also featured in a legendary SNL segment when he “dueted” with Joe Cocker, performing as his popular parody of Cocker, himself. During Belushi’s meteoric rise to the top, he also developed a reputation as a hard partier. On March 5, 1982, he and several friends were hanging out at a West Hollywood hotel. At one point, as was confessed at a later date, a female acquaintance injected Belushi with a fatal dose of cocaine and heroin. John Belushi died as a result at the age of 33. The woman eventually accepted a plea bargain to involuntary manslaughter and served 15 months in prison.
What You Should Own
Patsy Cline was arguably the greatest female singer that country music has ever known. If not the greatest, she was clearly one of the most influential, even though her career was cut tragically short after just eight years. With a booming voice, it didn’t take long for Cline to get noticed thanks to numerous radio talent shows on which she performed as a teen. By the mid ’50s, Cline was making her first records, and in 1957, she released “Walkin’ After Midnight,” which became her first hit and propelled her into the national limelight. Over the next several years Cline released such future country standards as “I Fall To Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams,” and of course, the Willie Nelson penned, “Crazy.” She truly was one of the all-time queens of country music, but sadly that all came to a quick end on March 5, 1963. While flying from a show in Kansas City, Kansas, the small plane that carried Cline, manager, Randy Hughes, and band members, 
Hawkshaw Hawkins, was a honky-tonk singer who achieved some fame and success following his time serving in WWII. Throughout his career, he released several albums which included eight Top 15 country single, the most successful being “Lonesome 7-7203,” which reached #1. On March 5, 1963, Hawkshaw Hawkins, died in the plane crash that also took 
Cowboy Copas was a country singer, guitarist and songwriter whose career took off when he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1943. During his career, Copas released fifteen charting hit singles, including “Filipino Baby,” “Tennessee Waltz,” “Signed Sealed and Delivered,” and the #1 “Alabam.” On March 5, 1963, Cowboy Copas was killed in the same plane crash that took 
Irby Mandrell was the patriarch of the Mandrell family, making him the father of popular country singers, Barbara Mandrell, Irlene Mandrell, and Louise Mandrell. With a background in music himself, Irby and his wife taught all of their daughters from an early age to appreciate music. Oldest child, Barbara learned to play multiple instruments as a young child thanks to the tutelage of Irby, who owned a musical instrument shop at the time. By the time she was 11 Barbara landed her first gig. And from those early days on, Irby managed her successful career as one of country music’s first ladies. Their business partnership lasted the better part of three decades. On March 5, 2009, Irby Mandrell died following a stroke. He was 84.